In the comparison of Christianity between the United States of America and the Republic of Poland, there are several discrepancies relating to the vast differences in population density 8and diversity. However, by setting the balancing scale aside, a conclusion is easily reached: the status of Christianity in the U.S. is not comparable to the status of Christianity in Poland. This is supported by many factors, with the three foremost being measures of religion, economy, and society. However, before we delve in, we need to clarify what exactly it is that measures one’s Christianity. Some say it is by strictly adhering to all the teachings of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, others may argue that it is based on how well the population is versed in the Bible. And yet there are those who will fervently swear that it is judged by church attendance. However, in all reality, is there really a way to accurately measure something as subjective as religious devotion? According to Bill McKibben, the answer is yes. He has devised a formula that can be used to determine a nation’s Christianity in his article entitled The Christian Paradox: How a faithful nation gets Jesus wrong. Based on the opinions from the text, there are several main elements a nation must be graded by in order to be considered Christian. Using these categories, the judgement of the United States versus Poland will prove Poland to be a more Christian nation. The first three orders in McKibbens formula is the measure of a nations memorization of all Ten Commandments, prayer and church attendance, and knowledge of the contents of the bible. There are those who may argue in favor of the U.S. by stating the average household in the United States owns three Bibles, which therefore shows Christianity. Another argument could be that Americans are more Christian, as proven by citing a study that shows 75% of the population in America stated they had read the bible within the past 12 months, versus 38% of the...

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...Paradox Essay
One of the generalities about men is that we are distasteful, discontented, disdainful people. We spend days searching for our successes, and are never satisfied with those we chose to achieve. We are stricken with dissatisfaction when we do not have a girlfriend, and stricken with distraught when we have to deal with one. We are driven to sexual intercourse but we refuse to take care of a child. We try to appear the smartest to our friends, yet we brag about the dumbest things that we do. We are displeased at being less athletic than other people, and are discontented when we work to the top. For the most part, we are unhappy people. Even in times when we are in a good mood, we are working to achieve some goal that we believe will make us happier. Through sadness, success, serenity, superficial sorrow, and surrendering, men shall always stay unhappy.
In result, we are constantly in an innate state of great confusion. We feel that the way other men act is stupid, rash, unjust, shallow, and disdainful, and yet, we act the same way to our friends. We see ourselves as gentle, polite, eloquent men when we seldom say thank you or perform any caring notion towards someone. We see strength as one of our attributes yet when something heavy needs moving, we use machines and technology to get the job done. We believe that hard work is the best way to get a job done, yet when a job comes, we hire people to do it for us. We believe in self-sufficiency...

...Shakespeare was a man ahead of his time. He was a man who had an ability to
portray the inner workings of humanity. Throughout his masterful works he was able to
peer into the human psyche and capture emotions like no other writer has been able to do.
He filled every one of his plays, most notably Hamlet, with eternal truths concerning
human emotions. Shakespeare develops the paradox of man and contradictions of
humanity with imagery, ironic siloques, and philosophical rants by Hamlet and Claudius.
No one has ever returned from the dead. Nobody knows exactly what life after
death is like. This is the thesis of Hamlet's first paradox. The saying that "grass is always
greener on the other side of the fence" does not hold true when dealing with human life.
Life is a struggling, so why do we endure it? Hamlet reminds us that " . . . in that sleep of
death what dreams may come,/ When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,/ Must give us
pause" (III.i.67-69). The reason that people do not give up their lives is because they do
not know what it is to become of them after they die. Man is trapped in life by the enigma
of death---the unknowns. He generally wishes to give his life up for something better; he
cannot because there is no knowing whether death is a better alternative or not. Even
though a better life is promised to us after death, one cannot get ot that place when taking
one's own life.
Shakespeare notes that the Scriptures...

...According to the Random House College Dictionary, a paradox is defined as 1) a
statement or proposition seemingly self-contradictory or absurd, but in reality expressing
a possible truth; 2) any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory
nature. Writer Rosalie Colie in "Paradoxia Epidemica" states: "The one element
common to all paradox is their exploitation of the fact of relative or competing value
systems. Theparadox is always somehow involved in challenging some orthodoxy.
The paradox is oblique criticism of absolute judgment or absolute convention."
This reading is one of my all time favorites. I've received it numerous times via
email and each time I read it, it makes me ponder over it's analogies once more.
One of the numerous verses that affect me is the statement referring to having bigger
houses but smaller families; more conveniences, but less time. My husband and I only
have 2 children after agreeing we would only have a child. I ended up with twins so that
choice was taken of my hands. We live in an almost 3000 sq. ft. house and the twins are
now living on their own. We often discuss buying a larger house; our dream home now
that we don't have the expense of caring for our sons. (They chose not to go to college
but went straight into the Air Force so since we didn't have to pay for their college, we...

...the word paradox itself.
Often confused with the word hypocrisy, paradox is a complex word that can have a slew of meanings. Hypocrisy involves a personal contradiction. To be hypocritical one sets a set of standards for others that they can’t reach themselves. Paradox had a less strait forward meaning. I have gathered a general definition based on multiple sources and came up with this; a statement or proposition that seems self contradictory. A good example of a paradoxical statement is, “i always tell lies”. This is paradoxical because you wouldn’t know if the person is telling the truth or lying, thus it contradicts itself.
When you look at the ideological principles of our country you can isolate three generalized ideas that supposedly express the roots of our beliefs. They are; all men are created equal, everyone has equal rights, and freedom of speech. These all seem like fantastic things to have in a government, but as you look closer you can see how our perceptions have been warped. These have remained as purely ideals for many and never became a reality. There are examples of the true extent of “american ideals”, as we call them, in many literary works.
The first ideal of “all men are created equal” is a paradoxical expression right from it’s creation. This was said by the founding fathers when fighting for independence from the British. If you stop to assess the statement in regards to that time period alone you...

...﻿Oxymoron
Oxymoron Definition
Oxymoron, plural oxymora, is a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. The common oxymoron phrase is a combination of an adjective proceeded by a noun with contrasting meanings e.g. “cruel kindness” or “living death”. However, the contrasting words/phrases are not always glued together. The contrasting ideas may be spaced out in a sentence e.g. “In order to lead, you must walk behind.”
Difference between Oxymoron andParadox
It is important to understand the difference between a paradox and an oxymoron. A paradox may consist of a sentence or even a group of sentences. An oxymoron, on the other hand, is a combination of two contradictory or opposite words. A paradox seems contradictory to the general truth but it does contain an implied truth. An oxymoron, however, may produce a dramatic effect but does not make sense. Examples of oxymoron are found both in casual conversations and in literature.
Common Examples of Oxymoron
Open secret
Tragic comedy
Seriously funny
Awfully pretty
Foolish wisdom
Original copies
Liquid gas
The above oxymoron examples produce a comical effect. Thus, it is a lot of fun to use them in your everyday speech.
Oxymoron Examples in Literature
Example #1
Below is an extract from the play “Romeo and Juliet”, Act I, Scene I, written by William Shakespeare.
“Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!
O anything, of nothing first...

...Abstract
Ontological Paradox is associated with time. It is the existence of time travel. A time travels journey to another time is fulfilled simply because he traveled there. The time traveler can not alter or change the past or history already made.
What is an Ontological Paradox?
Isn’t it strange by influencing the past while time traveling in time explains why history can not be altered? A time traveler, if existed, can only explore on his quest to make history and not change what was already done at all on his quest.
An ontological questions where, when and by who was history made or how the information was originated?
What is an ontological paradox? A paradox of time travels that question of existence. The existence and the creation of information or objects in time are also paradoxes. In other words, an object is brought back in time and it becomes the object that was first brought back in time at first. An example can happen where information can be passed form the future to the past.
I remember watching, I believe the movie StarGate SG-1. In this episode the time travelers, who were military soldiers traveled back in time within their time craft. The military soldiers traveled to the year 1969. However, before the soldiers left the future, one of them wrote down information on how to repair their time craft on pad. The soldier took the pad of information to the year 1969 with him. Therefore,...

...﻿Juxtaposition and Paradox
Address the following in a multi-paragraph response:
In the beginning acts of Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses juxtaposition and paradox to set off contrasts between characters, ideas, and events. Detail the differences between juxtaposition and paradox. Also, relate how he uses juxtaposition to illuminate characters and paradox to compare and contrast thematic ideas and plot.
Aparadox is when an author uses apparently contradictory statements to get at some underlying truth. Juxtaposition, on the other hand, refers to placing two contrasting elements in proximity to each other to achieve some literary effect. As a writer, Shakespeare used both of these literary device to contrast characters, ideas, and events in his stories. It is seen most in the play Macbeth with the porter and the stability of good and evil.
The most prominent example of juxtaposition that Shakespeare uses is the porter in Macbeth's castle. The porter comes into the scene shortly after Duncan has been murdered. He then begins to make some intense jokes. For example he says “Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key” (II.iii.1). The porter is saying that if someone had the job of unlocking the gates of hell is would be a strenuous job. This is a reference to Macbeth and to his most current actions.
One of the most common literary...

...﻿
Living my life as a Christian
Christians are taught through the teachings of Jesus and the disciples that follow him to love one and other and the God is almighty. There are many different forms of Christianity and they differ significantly from one extreme to the other, and they also differ from the modern version to the conservative. Just like in Judaism, Christians come together for worship and holy days. Most Christians reserve Sundays as their day of worship in rembrance of Jesus’ resurrection. During Sunday worship there is usually a reading from the bible and then the sermon performed by a minister or priest. Sacred rituals that Christians participate in are: baptism, confirmation, confession, marriages and funerals.
There are sacred times throughout the year that Christians reserve as sacred holy days. In the spring holy week is observed starting with Palm Sunday which represents Jesus entering Jerusalem. Maundy Thursday is next with a celebration that reflects on the Last Supper that Jesus had with his disciples. This is where he broke bread and served the wine in remembrance of him. The bread represents Christ body and the wine represents the blood of Christ as it was shed for you. On Good Friday Christians are reminded of the time Jesus spent on the cross suffering and finally dying. Easter Sunday has an early sunrise service with the celebration of the resurrection.
An Advent wreath is put out four weeks prior to Christmas as the...